Prior art workers have devised a number of different magazines for fastener driving tools wherein the fasteners are arranged in tandem in strips which are coiled. This arrangement generally increases the number of fasteners which can be accommodated by the magazine, as compared to the capacity of a typical linear magazine. There are various types of fasteners which can be arranged in coiled strips. For example, headed and headless nails, blind rivets and the like fall into this category. Nails are generally the most common fastener found in coiled form. For this reason, and for purposes of an exemplary showing, the magazine of the present invention will be described in its application to a nail driving tool. It will be understood, however, that the nature of the fastener is not a limitation of the present invention.
The nails of a strip are arranged and held in a tandem row by any appropriate coilable means. These means may constitute tape means, paper means, wire means, plastic means or the like, all of which are well known in the
Prior art workers have devised canister-type magazines provided with adjustable coil supporting platforms or support surfaces for the accommodation of fasteners of various lengths. The adjustment of the coil supporting surface of the canister-type magazine frequently has required disassembly of the magazine, or considerable manipulation thereof prior to or as a part of the loading operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,585,154 teaches a canister-type magazine made up of three parts: a mounting part, a coil supporting part, and a cover part. The mounting part is affixed to the fastener driving tool and comprises approximately one-half of the magazine's cylindrical side. The fastener coil supporting part comprises a bottom and a significant portion of the magazine side wall. The two elements can be adjustably joined together and held together by an over center latch. The mounting part also supports a cover part or lid which is movable between a magazine closing position and a magazine opening position. From the standpoint of loading, the magazine is fixed with respect to the tool and loading is accomplished from beneath the tool handle. To adjust for fasteners of different lengths, the mounting part and the fastener coil supporting part must be disassembled and reassembled in appropriately adjusted condition.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,996,648 is also exemplary of prior art structures. Here, a canister-type magazine is provided which is made up of two parts hinged together. Each of the parts comprises approximately one-half of the magazine side, one-half of the magazine bottom and one-half of the magazine top. One of the parts is fixed to the tool and the other part is swingable between open and closed positions. The patent teaches several embodiments of platform or support surface for a coil of fasteners. In a first embodiment, the magazine halves are provided with internal corresponding grooves. A separate platform or supporting surface is engaged in corresponding grooves of both halves, the grooves having been selected with regard to the length of the fasteners of the coil. In a second embodiment, the platform constitutes a separate member pivotally mounted on a shaft which is parallel to the hinge pin of the hinge by which the two magazine halves are joined together. The platform or support surface is adjustable on its pivot pin to accommodate fasteners of various lengths. In the loading operation for the first embodiment, the movable half of the magazine is swung to an open position. The support surface is engaged in the appropriate groove of the fixed half of the magazine and the coil is slipped onto the support surface, whereupon the other half of the magazine is swung to its closed position. In the second embodiment where the support surface is, itself, pivotally mounted, the movable magazine half is swung to its fully open position and the support surface is swung out from under the top portion of the fixed magazine half for purposes of loading. When the coil is located on the support surface, the support surface is swung into the fixed magazine half whereupon the movable magazine half is pivoted to its closed position. In co-pending application Ser. No. 08/367,431, filed Dec. 30, 1994, in the names of John T. Burke, Daniel A. Oliver and John P. Crutcher, and entitled CANISTER-TYPE MAGAZINE FOR A FASTENER DRIVING TOOL a magazine for a coil of fasteners is taught. The magazine comprises a fixed part and a movable part. The fixed part is attached to the fastener driving tool and the movable part is hinged to the fixed part, is swingable out from under the tool handle, and contains the fastener coil support surface. The fastener coil support surface is adjustable to accommodate various lengths of fasteners by adjustment of the swingable canister portion with respect to the fixed canister portion, in association with the hinge structure that joins them together. The co-pending application teaches a second embodiment wherein the canister has a bottom with an upstanding central post formed thereon. The central post is adapted to be slidably received in a hollow central post of a support platform. The support platform is captively mounted on the magazine center post. The magazine center post has a series of diametrically located pairs of vertical slots, the pairs of slots being of different lengths. The inside surface of the hollow post of the fastener support platform has a pair of diametrically opposed lugs which are receivable in any one of the magazine post pairs of slots, thus maintaining the fastener support surface in any one of a series of levels with respect to the magazine center post to accommodate fastener coils of different fastener lengths.
The present invention teaches a canister-type magazine of substantially cylindrical configuration and having a bottom. The magazine is openable so as to provide easy access to its bottom. The magazine bottom has an upstanding central post. A circular fastener support has a hollow central post slidably mountable on the magazine post. The fastener support may be held in at least two positions on the magazine post by a simple, manually manipulable spring biased latch means. Height adjustment of the fastener support within the canister is very easily and quickly accomplished manually and the entire canister-type magazine structure is easy and simple to manufacture and assemble with a minimum of parts. The teachings of the present invention are adaptable to any canister-type fastener magazine.